WASHINGTON – A current Boeing employee told congressional investigators that the company lost track of hundreds of faulty parts and may have ended up installing them in its 737 Max planes, US senator Blumenthal told CNN on Tuesday, reported Sputnik.
The Boeing employee said company supervisors ordered him to hide the faulty parts from the US aviation watchdog and are now subjecting him to retaliation.
“His allegations are extraordinarily serious,” Blumenthal told CNN. “His account of the retaliation against him is particularly chilling the pressure that was exerted on him to stay silent. They have a programme called Speak Up, well, he was told to shut up.”
The report quoted a Boeing statement that said the company is reviewing the whistleblower’s claims.
“We continuously encourage employees to report all concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public,” Boeing said in the statement.
The new allegations come as Boeing’s chief executive officer David Calhoun is set to testify on Tuesday afternoon before a subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security Committee which Blumenthal chairs. – June 19, 2024